Subject: Re: [lojban] Re: learning lojban [2]

From: Ivan A Derzhanski <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2000 07:57:08 +0300

"Mark E. Shoulson" wrote:
> >From: John Leuner <[email-masked]>
> >> ps the way you signed your name ('djon') rhymes
> >> with the english word 'drone'...

(It does not if _drone_ is pronounced [droUn].)

> >Well I intend it to be a short 'o', as in (British) "on"
> >as opposed to "phone".
> 
> Fair enough, both are allophones of the Lojban /o/, but that cuts
> both ways: it is valid to pronounce the Lojban name {djon.} like
> the (British) English "John" *or* like the English "Joan":

No, it isn't. Woldemar Codex p.44: `The nearest GA equivalent
[of [o]] is the "o" of "dough" or "joke", but it is essential
that the off-glide (a [w]-like sound) at the end of the vowel
is not pronounced when speaking Lojban. The RP sound in these
words is [@w] in IPA terms [...]'. Next para: `In RP, but not
GA, [O] is the "o" of "hot".'

Looks plain enough to me: Lojban {djon.} may be a usable
lojbanisation of English _Joan_ [dZoUn] is nothing better
can be found, but it is not valid to pronounce {djon.} as
[dZoUn], only as [dZon] or [dZOn].

> you can't specify which pronunciation you want;
> the language doesn't make the distinction fine enough.

It still amazes my Slavic mind that the distinction between
a monophthong and a falling diphthong should count as fine.

--Ivan